Moon Tide
by Pikes Pendragon
Summary: A collection of drabbles featuring my main Persona 5 ship, Munehisa Iwai/Tae Takemi!
1. Amusement Park Date

**Moon Tide**

 _ **Amusement Park Date**_

"Kaoru's bedtime is 9:30, but if he's good, I let him stay up an extra 15 minutes. I made something you can heat up in the stove, make sure he eats no later than 7. And no sweets after 5:30. Since it's a Friday, I don't really expect him to do his homework, but help him if he asks."

Iwai looked past Akira toward his son, Kaoru.

"You be good for him while I'm gone, okay, kid?"

"Yes, sir," Kaoru nodded.

"Good," Iwai smiled, and then returned his attention to the appointed babysitter. "Emergency contacts are in the cabinet. I should be home around 10:30 but I'll text you if something comes up."

Akira simply nodded.

And with that, Iwai closed the door and straightened his jacket so he could look somewhat decent for his date.

It was a casual date to the amusement park, no sweat there. Honestly, he never expected Tae to be the kind of girl to like amusement parks. He joked when he asked her, so maybe she was humoring him.

Maybe?

"There you are."

Iwai snapped out of his thoughts to see Tae walking up to him. What he didn't expect, though, was her outfit. Well, she clearly wouldn't wear her doctor's robes outside of work, but man did her outfit make her look good. Fit her goth apparel to a T, what with the choker and spider web on her top, while her skirt fit very well along her curves. Yet it still had some class to it with the black, long-sleeved jacket and boots that let onlookers know she wasn't someone that can be easily toyed with.

"Boy, do I feel underdressed now," Iwai huffed with a smile.

"That's what you get for wearing your work uniform to our date," Tae replied cheekily. She flicked Iwai's coat. "Next you'll say you're going to take me to the farmer's market for a 'romantic evening'."

"What's not romantic about that? Discounts on vegetables sound like a lover's paradise to me."

Tae rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You know, second dates usually tend to be at fancy restaurants."

"First date was at Leblanc, though. Didn't want to be redundant."

"There's a difference between a café and a fancy restaurant, you know."

Then, she wrapped her arms around Iwai's.

"But I'll forgive you this time. Come on, let's start having fun."

 _Fun already started when you got here_ , Iwai thought to himself. He didn't say that out loud, though, to save him from embarrassment.

Their date played out like how you'd expect an amusement park date would go: Iwai would try to show off in the games to win Tae (and Kaoru) prizes, where Tae would sometimes join in and beat him at his own game. Fortunately, they didn't play too many games to where they would have their hands full with toys.

They'd make comments about the food, daring each other to eat whatever they could stomach before going on the rides, but not actually going through with it because the last thing they wanted was to die from food poisoning or heart attacks. (That, and the lines were obnoxiously long. It'd take like 2 hours just to get to the front of the line).

When Iwai offered to have them be a part of the Tunnel of Love, Tae laughed and instead went for the House of Mirrors.

He didn't mind, though, as his main goal for this date was to ride the Ferris wheel with her. He decided to save the best for last.

"I gotta admit, you have better taste in dates than I expected," Tae said with that playful yet cynical smile of hers.

"By that, I hope you're saying you're looking forward to more dates in the future," Iwai responded.

"I'd say that's a very likely chance."

She turned to her window as Iwai silently patted himself on the back.

"Though I'm still surprised, I didn't expect you to say yes to that first date, or this one."

She sounded distant, letting Iwai know all he needed to.

"I'm a man of my word," he told her. "And, well, how could I turn down an offer from a woman like you?"

Tae smiled again, but this one was sincere.

"Hey," Iwai said.

"Hm?"

Tae then noticed that Iwai scooted closer toward her. And with him taking his hat off, she knew what he was asking for.

In that moment, they leaned closer together and shared their first official kiss with one another. Not too long, not too short.

" _That's_ why I wanted the amusement park date," Iwai told her when they pulled back. "Better to have the first kiss here than over a table where some nosy onlookers would be a nuisance."

"Fair enough," Tae replied. She then pressed a kiss on Iwai's cheek. "I'm actually hungry now, let's grab a bite to eat."

"Big Bang Burger sound romantic enough?"


	2. Comforting After a Long Day

**Moon Tide**

 _ **Comfort after a Long Day**_

The door opened loudly, bringing forth an annoyed-looking Tae that held her heels in her hand. Iwai didn't breathe a word to her, but definitely looked concerned. This usually meant she dealt with either a terrible patient or a close to failing procedure that would need more work on in another appointment.

She immediately went in for the bathroom, and locked it shut.

"Is she okay, Dad?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah, she's just had a rough day," Iwai said.

She didn't care if she used up all the hot water or had the tub overflow with bubbles, she needed a relaxing bath after all that crap she had to deal with. Part of her wanted to scream and claw out her frustrations, but she was just plain tired and didn't want to put up with any more crap. The only thing keeping her sane at this point was the music she played on her phone's speakers.

It took a good long while, but she finally managed to get out of the tub. Half-assing the clean-up, she then noticed there was a folded piece of paper near the door. As she wrapped a towel around herself, she picked it up and unfolded it.

 **Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you feel better  
-Mune**

In the corner, she noticed a crude smiley face drawn by Kaoru.

 _The goof couldn't even say this to my face,_ Tae smiled.

After brushing out her hair and putting on some pajamas she kept over in case of "emergencies", she stepped out to see Iwai facing backward, head poking out of the couch and his arms resting on the top of it. Ah, he was watching TV. Of course.

She slowly walked toward him, and he kept a cool expression on his face when she was in front of him.

In an instant, she turned to her side and plopped herself right on Iwai's lap, her head now resting on his shoulder. The arm closest to her wrapped around her waist, while the other traced small patterns on her legs.

"I hate feeling weak," she muttered. "All my hard work feeling like it's for nothing. Assholes taking it for granted."

"I know," Iwai replied gently.

He could up with something heartfelt and inspiring to try and make her feel better, but he knew her better than that. She didn't need someone that would just spew crap out of their mouths every time she felt upset, or do grand romantic gestures to help her feel better.

Iwai would leave her to her feelings, while still being close enough to ground her back into reality. Weak or not, he was still there for her.

That's all she could ever ask for.


	3. Making Up After an Argument

**Moon Tide**

 _ **Making Up after an Argument**_

Witty banter and playful insults are expected with these two, no question about that. However, it can sometimes lead to miscommunication if they're not careful enough. Miscommunication leads to hurt feelings, which then leads to anger and distrust.

Usually, these two are good about talking things out before it escalates out of control, but the both of them were also stubborn as oxen and didn't want the other to know they were giving up if they did end up fighting. That in itself can be a recipe of disaster.

And that is where we find ourselves today. The conversation started off innocently enough, but crankiness from a long day's work helped fuel the fire and it exploded from there. Now Tae had stormed back to her office and Iwai grit his teeth as he sat down.

He wanted to stay angry at her, she was getting up in his case again and she of all people should know by now that he hated being interrogated for stuff that didn't even matter in the long run.

Then he wanted to get angry at this one ass of a customer that wouldn't stop bugging him and gave him a migraine. The guy should've known the basics of guns, at least. But this middle-aged man acted like this was his first time seeing a gun and only heard about them through anti-gun blogs.

…But eventually, he got angry at himself. He was a dumbass and Tae didn't deserve the way he acted toward her. She was only trying to help, after all. And she had a long day, too.

Of course, Iwai didn't want to admit that he was a dumbass flat out and beg for her forgiveness. He'd never hear the end of it from her. And Iwai was part of the yakuza at one point, the last thing he needed was to have people know he was being whipped by his girlfriend.

He kept up this charade for a week, hoping she would cave in first. But hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and he was dying from her silent treatment. No texts, no calls, no visits during her lunch break. Nothing.

When he tried visiting her apartment, she was never home (or at least had it appear that way). And when he tried visiting her office, Akira would be there to tell him she was either in the middle of an operation (where storming in would result in the patient's untimely death or a chemical outbreak), or she was on the other side of town for her break (where she would come back the minute she knew he was coming to find her).

 _Dammit, she never makes this easy…_ Iwai thought.

In the middle of the third week, he had enough. They _needed_ to talk. Not angrily yell at each other again, but getting everything out. It wouldn't be easy, and it might even result in them breaking up, but he let this wound fester long enough.

"…Maybe I should ease the mood first," he spoke out loud as he looked at his guitar.

Tae never wanted to show anyone that she was hurting. Even to her closest friends, any sign of weakness was not allowed. It made doing anything while she was angry and upset nearly impossible. She wanted to break all her windows with a lead pipe, and then beat Iwai's skull to a bloody pulp for making her feel weak in the first place. Ex-yakuza or not, she would find a way to kick his ass for making her feel things.

…Damn, now she kept thinking about the good times they had. Why? He was mean to her, long day or not. This made her even more upset. He should know better. She was in the right here! She was the victim! He wormed into her heart, and she hated him for that. He made her feel safe. He made her smile and laugh. He made her care, that asshole!

Ugh, her neighbors were blasting music again.

…Wait, they don't listen to ballads. Or anything involving an acoustic guitar. Was it some street performer?

Tae opened her window, only to find the culprit behind the mysterious guitar playing right near her fire escape: none other than the man that pissed her off all those weeks ago and the man of her dreams, Iwai.

 _Is this supposed to be his way of saying sorry?_ Tae thought bitterly. _Idiot, he's too much of a coward to talk to my face yet again._

She continued listening, only to find out he was playing acoustic covers of her favorite "slow" metal and cheesy rock pieces she would never admit liking to another soul. Her secret playlist…! Crap, she forgot she told him about that!

Iwai stopped playing, only to look up and see Tae. Shouting at her wouldn't be a good idea at this point, so he pulled out his phone.

 **I only came here to talk. You can kick me out and file a restraining order on me as long as we talk it out before that. That okay?**

Tae stared at her phone screen. No "I'm sorry, please forgive me?" sympathy text? She didn't know if she should punch him the face or feel honored that he wasn't sugarcoating this.

 **You get ten minutes** , she texted back.

Iwai smirked slightly. At least she hasn't changed.

With one climb up the fire escape and crawl through a window later, Iwai found himself sitting on her couch with Tae eyeing him closely.

"Emotions suck," Iwai sighed. "But they shouldn't be an excuse for how I acted. I was a dumbass, no question about that, and I shouldn't have told you to piss off when you only were trying to help me."

Tae raised an eyebrow.

"This is what you get when you make me care about your dumb ass," she admitted. "You make me worry about you and feel terrible when I'm not supposed to feel in the first place."

Iwai silently nodded.

She probably wanted to stay angry at him, Iwai figured. Women never want to be told they were wrong, ever.

"So how about we say everything we need to, no interruptions, just get this off our chests. Then we'll figure things out from there."

"I'm surprised you'd want to talk about your feelings."

"I think I already did enough damage bottling them up and taking them out on you. But that's another thing, the main focus shouldn't be degrading and blaming each other. If it is, then we'll really need to work on that. But if it's something else entirely, we should focus on that."

…Was he a therapist at some point?

Tae surprisingly started off, saying that doctors get used to pain and trauma in their work. To suddenly feel it again, especially when it's caused by someone she's trusted, is a really devastating blow.

Iwai told her that usually when yakuza members get miffed at someone, they would axe them off no questions asked. That's how they got their frustrations out, and to not be able to do that anymore put him on edge. To keep these feelings lingering was a nightmare.

Ultimately, while it was never stated, the message was clear: both of them had emotional and trust issues.

"So, what do we do?" Iwai asked.

He really hoped that this didn't mean they would break up. He thought they could work through this.

Tae kept quiet for a moment, pondering on what to say next.

Clearly, this was a dumb argument in of itself, and to break up over it would be childish. And she would miss him too much.

"…How about we beat our frustrations out at the gym's punching bags and work on it from there?" Tae suggested.

Iwai smirked.

"Sounds like a plan. We can also go the shooting range to really kill off our frustrations."

It was when Tae reached her hand out to Iwai that he knew she was saying sorry. And when he took her hand in his, she knew he was saying sorry, too.

Not a conventional way of making up, but then again, they never had the conventional way of a relationship.


	4. Halloween

**Moon Tide**

 _ **Halloween**_

There's one thing that both Tae and Iwai mutually agree on: Halloween has, and always will be, the best holiday anyone could ever celebrate. Even if it's not as big in Japan as it is in the United States, they both can't get enough of this creepy holiday. No social obligations like with Valentine's and White Day, but horror-filled fun. These two took their Halloween planning somewhat seriously (not to a pesky level like one would do with wedding planning, but they at least put effort into it), and their ultimate challenge came into place: deciding on their costumes.

They could make the excuse that the costumes were to go along with Kaoru as he trick-or-treated, but he was getting too old for that. Plus, it's a free day to cosplay. How could anyone turn that down? And that's why choosing their costumes had this level of importance.

They wanted to match, not only to show off that they were a couple but also to combine each other's ideas. However, they didn't want anything cheesy like the American couple costumes they saw online. A ketchup and mustard bottle? The hell? Nah, they had to look cool.

So, the two began throwing ideas out.

"Jason Voorhees and a female Freddy Krueger," Iwai started off. "I can definitely pull off Jason, and you'd look pretty good with the claws."

He was a fan of slasher horror films.

"I think I'd look good as Ripley, and you can be that guy with the alien popping out of his stomach," Tae suggested.

She was a fan of atmospheric thrillers.

"Gozu and the girl from The Grudge."

"Frankenstein and his bride."

"…You're not going to have the beehive hairstyle if we pick that, are you?"

Tae snickered.

"God, that reminds me of a show Kaoru used to watch. What was it…?"

Iwai pulled out his phone to quickly Google his answer.

"Ah, Soul Eater, that's it. Hey, we can be the Frankenstein doctor guy and the chick with the arrows."

Tae looked over his screen to see that he was talking about Medusa.

"Being a doctor for Halloween seems redundant to me," Tae sighed. "Plus that implies I would be terrible to poor Kaoru if we made him match with us."

Iwai raised an eyebrow, clearly not as well versed in the show as she was.

"How about these two from an old American show?" Tae asked.

She pulled a picture of a woman in a very fitting and vampires-inspired black dress and a shorter man with his hair slicked back, a suit, and to top it all off, a pencil-thin mustache.

"No way in hell I'm wearing that mustache," Iwai shook his head. "And last time I checked, I was taller than you."

"I can wear higher heels," Tae shrugged.

"And risk you twisting your ankle trying to walk? No thanks."

Tae then suggested a classic: the Wolf Man and a witch, but then realized she didn't want to put on the fake nose. Plus, Iwai thought he'd sweat through the fur.

Iwai thought a priest and sexy devil could work, but Tae said to leave that for the bedroom. He blushed like a maniac for a good couple of minutes.

"Actually, I have an idea that may satisfy us both," Tae said optimistically.

On her phone screen was none other than Naked Snake and EVA from Metal Gear Solid 3. While Iwai might not be the most knowledgeable in video games, he liked the attention to Snake's camouflage outfit. Practical, but still had a nice fashion sense toward it. It reminded him of his old hunting gear. And he definitely liked EVA's outfit.

"Think you can handle being blonde?" He smiled.

"For Halloween, I don't see why not," Tae responded.

* * *

 ** _Ending Commentary:_** Well, uh, that's all the prompts I planned out for now. Let me know what you'd like to see!


	5. Marks

**Moon Tide**

 _ **Marks**_

Networking works in mysterious ways. One day, Tae finishes testing her latest drugs on her "guinea pig" known as Akira Kurusu. The next, she finds herself having a girl's night out with other women that Akira's acquainted with. This includes: the prosecutor of infamy Sae Niijima, the lady of fortune Chihaya Mifune, Akira's homeroom teacher Sadayo Kawakami, and the overly eccentric reporter Ichiko Ohya.

While not really a social butterfly, Tae always enjoyed it when she had others to be around. It gets lonely in an unlicensed doctor's office, after all.

The five women found themselves having a good time laughing at the horror stories of their work (Tae thankfully keeping the gross details to a minimum), and eventually at how light of drinkers Sae and Ichiko were.

"Hey, wuzzat mark on yer neck there, Takemi?" Ichiko slurred.

In that instant, the other women rose slightly out of their seats to see a blotchy red spot right on the crevasse of Tae's neck.

"Alright, who's the guy?" Sadayo teased. "Tell us everything!"

"A lady never kisses and tells," Tae smirked as she finished her glass.

"Clearly, it must be the café owner," Sae deduced. She then put her hand on her forehead, which led to Chihaya rubbing her back for support. "Tae is a frequent contender at his establishment."

"But he's such an old fart!" Ichiko laughed. "Unless she's into that!" She then gasped. "NO WAIT, it must be that candidate guy! Uh, wuzzisname…"

"Toranosuke Yoshida?" Chihaya asked.

"DASSIT!"

"Girls, you're clearly not being creative enough," Sadayo sighed. "Takemi-san seems to be a woman of danger…"

Oh? She might actually know who it is.

"So she must be in a romantic political affair with Masoyoshi Shido!"

All of them burst into laughter.

"You got me," Tae joked. "It was all to make sure I became commercial, too."

The last time Tae remembered having this much fun with a group was back in high school. Sure, people annoyed her to no end at times, but it was nice to unwind and show off a good sense of humor.

* * *

 _Later that evening…_

"I'm home," Tae announced.

"Hey," Iwai simply responded, but he made up for it with a small peck on the lips. "Ah, had one of them fancy drinks tonight, I see."

"Someone else was paying, so how could I refuse the offer?"

"Fair enough."

The two settled down on the couch, and Iwai gestured that he wanted to see Tae's neck.

"Did the itching start acting up?" He asked.

"Fortunately, no."

"Did you pick at it when you thought nobody was looking?"

"Come now, I have _some_ decency."

"I can never tell with you."

Iwai then left to grab the ointment Tae created to help treat her bug bite turned scab. It would not only help lessen the swelling, but it would also soothe the skin to make it less tempting to scratch. In a kind gesture, Iwai applied it himself.

"Mm, fun fact, the girls tonight thought this was a hickey left by a mystery man," Tae sighed with a smile.

"Oh?"

"They never guessed it was you, though."

"Well, yeah. When I was part of the yakuza, you couldn't leave any tracks behind that can be traced back to you. Really drilled it into our heads and all. Leaving a hickey would be a rookie mistake."

Tae then decided to plant a big kiss on Iwai's cheek, leaving behind a big lipstick mark. The look on her face definitely told Iwai she planned on leaving more lipstick marks like this if he wasn't careful.

"Oh dear, guess that's a lesson I'll _never_ learn," Tae exaggerated.

"Last time I checked, you weren't in the yakuza," Iwai chuckled. "But I guess I should also learn how to fend myself from enemy attacks."

Tae laughed a bit before she went for Iwai's lips next.


	6. Mistletoe

_**Beginning Commentary:**_ This is based off an ask meme I found that I decided to be cheeky in!

* * *

 **Mistletoe**

* * *

 _Boy, Tae's going to both love and hate this_ , Iwai thought deviously as he finished tying the mistletoe on the hat of his bill.

"Hey Tae, can you come out for a second?" He announced.

" _Yeah, hang on!"_ She yelled from the other room.

Iwai rubbed his hands together, more than ready to show Tae up on their newfound mistletoe competition. It started innocently enough, but leave it to Tae to start coming up with clever situations for mistletoe. Now Iwai was about to get his revenge.

Tae entered the room at last, wearing a Christmas edition of her regular punk outfit (green jacket and collar with a cute little tree accessory, red shirt and boots, candy-cane striped skirt, and instead of a spider web on her shirt, there was a snowflake) and a candy-cane striped Santa hat.

"And here I thought you'd go for a _Nightmare Before Christmas_ angle," Iwai said with a smile.

"No, I think that's the angle you're going for," Tae replied cheekily. "You really need to learn how to match your colors better."

"What? I'm wearing red and green."

"Camouflage. Red and green camouflage."

The shirt and pajama bottoms were gag gifts one of his former yakuza buddies got him many Christmases ago, that were mainly red but had splotches of green on it to make it camouflage."

"It's my favorite pattern, sue me."

Tae rolled her eyes and made her way to the kitchen, purposely slowing herself down and pausing as she passed Iwai.

Iwai raised his eyebrows before he realized she had mistletoe hanging on the side of her hip.

"…Care to explain?"

"Oh, this? This is so everyone can kiss my ass."

Iwai was dumbfounded, and left his mouth agape and eyes wide to prove that. Eventually, though, he started cracking up.

"You freaking genius," he wheezed. "That's so good, oh my God!"

He pulled out his phone to take a photo, but Tae gently lowered it. To make up for it, she pressed a kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, that's not my mistletoe trick."

"Oh? Then please enlighten me."

"Close your eyes."

Tae did as such, expecting him to bring out Kaoru to press a kiss on Tae's cheek or something like that. Instead, something plastic was placed in her hands.

"Wha-?"

Tae opened her eyes to see _Dynasty_ on a CD case. Wait a minute.

"Is this a goddamn KISS album?"

"Merry Christmas, babe."

 _Damn him and his English puns…!_


	7. First Encounter

_**Moon Tide**_

 **First Encounter**

"So…can I ask for a favor?" Akira asked.

"I'm already providing you with prescriptions," Tae replied bluntly as she read through medical records. "And I'd like to keep my guinea pig around longer, so no more experiments until the other ones are out of your system."

"It's for a friend. Please?"

Tae observed Akira, noting that he expressed genuine worry despite his normally cool composure.

"What's the job?" Tae sighed.

"My friend's son has been sick for a couple of days now, the general hospital's too crowded from the train incidents to see him."

…While that sounded plausible, Tae thought this "friend" would at least call for a house doctor or even travel further out the city to see to this.

"How old's his son?"

"He's about to take his entrance exams."

 _Still pretty young, then…_ Tae thought.

"Can your friend afford it? You know how expensive my treatments get."

Akira nodded.

"Fine, I'll see him."

"Oh, thank you," Akira sighed with relief. He then pulled out his phone to text his "friend".

Tae still had a feeling this was fishy. She's dealt with shady patients who couldn't afford health insurance or didn't want their medical records shared with the government-funded hospitals. But she made an oath to take care of anyone who needed her, and pay was pay.

* * *

"Buddy, you have no idea how much I owe you one," the man spoke out loud as he read the text. "Don't worry, Kaoru. We just found you a doctor that can help."

He brushed the matted hair of his son away from his face as the boy continued to breathe uneasily.

* * *

Within half an hour, Akira's "friend" appeared carrying a sick boy in his arms. Oh, the airsoft store owner, if Tae recalled correctly. She heard about him through some of her patients. ...Taller than she originally thought.

"Hello, you must be Akira's friend," Tae greeted as she walked out of her office. "I'm Doctor Takemi."

"Iwai Munehisa," the man replied. He then directed his attention to the boy. "And this is your patient, Kaoru."

Tae placed her hand on Kaoru's forehead, definitely to check his temperature but to also buy her some time so she could look at Iwai closely.

Definitely on the rugged scale for handsome. Stubble, pierced ears, and...a gecko tattoo on his neck. Hm, he's definitely someone with a shady past. But his voice is very easy on the ears, and he seems to have a perfect balance of being threatening and caring. Well, threatening to those that annoy him and caring to those that he genuinely likes.

Upon inspection, Kaoru seemed to have a mark similar to Iwai's tattoo. Same place and everything. The kid's clearly too young for tattoos, though.

"Yep, that's definitely a high fever," Tae spoke. "Let's get him to the exam room."

Tae let Iwai inside, and then handed him a clipboard with some paperwork.

"While I'm looking over your son, I'll need you to fill out some key information."

Iwai looked hesitant at first.

"Don't worry, this is only so I can cross-reference for potential organ donors. We're not monitored here."

"Well, all right," Iwai sighed.

Kaoru groaned when Tae put her stethoscope over his heart. He kept trying to curl up.

"You'll be okay, Kaoru. Can you relax a bit?" Tae asked gently.

"It hurts..." Kaoru groaned.

"I know. It's no fun being sick. But I'm here to help you feel better."

Iwai handed Tae the finished record.

"Thank you. Now, what have you dealt with so far?"

"He can't keep food down," Iwai explained for his son. "He throws it back up. Even water's starting to cause problems."

"And how long has he been throwing up?"

"Two days."

"Did you eat or drink something that tasted funny, Kaoru?"

Kaoru shook his head.

"Then this looks like a case of stomach flu. I'm no pediatrician, but I can prescribe some antibiotics or supplements to help Kaoru keep food down. Otherwise, check to see if it passes within a couple of days. This tends to last a week if it's not too severe."

Tae and Iwai's eyes met briefly. She winked at him, which made his cheeks slightly pink.

"Actually, mind if I talk with your dad alone, Kaoru?" Tae asked. "I'll have my good friend to watch over you."

Iwai furrowed his eyebrows, but ultimately agreed. He held the door open for Tae as she returned to her small booth.

"You seem to be an interesting man, Mr. Iwai," Tae spoke nonchalantly as she started writing out the expenses. "The only things you and your son share are the marks and the very names you own."

Iwai remained wary.

"But I'm glad he has a caring father like you, blood related or not."

Now Iwai smiled slightly. Guess he didn't have to fully explain things, after all.

"I'll admit my life wasn't always great, but Kaoru makes every bad moment more than tolerable for me."

Ah yes, an ultimate weakness: intimidating men that actually have hearts of gold. Tae should at least try something to keep him around.

"Tell you what, if the hospital's crowded again, or something from your past comes back to haunt you, I'll keep my doors open 24/7."

She then ran her finger up his shirt, neck, jaw, cheek, and then on the bill of his hat.

"Who knows, I might be able to help you with your physical?"

If Iwai weren't blushing before, he certainly was now.

"Damn, right to the point," he breathed. "In that case, I'll return the favor by offering some security. While this ain't a really bad part of town, I can still make sure this place stays clean. I do tend to make some pretty nice deals with customers that know what they're talking about."

Tae originally wanted to make a remark about airsoft guns, but she had a better retort in mind.

"Hm, seems pretty pricey. I think I can only make up for such a generous offer with coffee at LeBlanc's."

"Seems fair. And while I can afford Kaoru's treatment now, I feel a trip to the observatory will have to make due for upcoming visits."

"Make it the amusement park and we have ourselves a deal."

On the bill was not only the (relatively expensive) treatment costs and prescription recommendations, but also a phone number.


	8. Valentine's Day

_**Moon Tide**_

* * *

 **Valentine's Day**

* * *

Tae will be honest, she's not one for celebrating Valentine's Day. Not for the edgy "I don't need anybody" reason that many would believe if they asked her, which would lead them to believe her heart was broken before. Heck, the only instance of "romance" she can recall to warrant that was when she had a small crush on her senpai back in high school when she was a first-year. That's it. And it's not out of the fear of rejection, either. Tae's a doctor who went through hell and back to get her teaching, and went through a different kind of heartbreak when she failed an experiment years ago.

It's easy to pair cynicism with Tae, but honestly, she just wasn't boy crazy as other women her age. While she'd make snarky and flirty remarks, it didn't really mean much to her unless the person she spoke with responded on an equal playing field. Of course, she was careful to consider others' feelings and as such, would never make a guy feel bad if he wanted to ask her out. She'd be polite in those cases.

But God, did she not want to admit that she had interest in Iwai. Not that he's terrible, of course, but because everyone that knew her would never let her hear the end of it. Always about "Oh, I knew you'd find the right man eventually!" or "Takemi-chan, I have someone much wealthier and more handsome in mind than him!"

Judgmental assholes, all of them.

Fortunately, Iwai was understanding of the situation after he helped boost Kaoru's confidence about getting chocolate, and told the boy to be polite in case he didn't like the girl or he didn't get any chocolate.

"I know it's the usual 'I can give them stuff whenever I want' talk," Tae sighed as she nuzzled onto Iwai's shoulder. "All of this, really. It's just a pain in the ass."

"Oooooooh, you swore!" Kaoru exclaimed.

Tae got up to put 100 yen in Kaoru's patented swear jar.

"Please forgive me," Tae bowed.

Kaoru observed her for a bit, but then nodded in forgiveness. He allowed Tae to return to her rightful place on the couch.

"I heard that Valentine's Day is even worse in the States," Iwai said. "They don't have a White Day there, so both guys and girls probably have to do something that day."

"Granted, the holiday's only around 40 years old, but still. The poor b-fools." Tae managed to censor herself before it was too late.

"Yeah, single folks there actually try calling it 'Singles Awareness Day' while people that ask out their sweethearts are probably in the relationship for a month at most. Ends with either really bad heartbreak or a baby born in November. Maybe both."

"Eugh, that sounds terrible," Kaoru responded.

"Don't they drink a lot of booze like a month after Valentine's?" Tae asked Iwai.

"Unrelated holiday, but yes."

"Lucky them, then."

Iwai snickered a bit while Kaoru just looked confused. So, he made his grand exit for the night.

"Lucky for you is that aside from the lollipops, I'm not a sweets guy. If anything, I would just give them to Kaoru if he got really good grades." Iwai pressed a kiss on the top of Tae's hair. "So that's one thing to worry less about. And hell, gift or no gift, that doesn't matter to me. Most I'd ask of you that day is to go somewhere cool for a date."

"Oh nooo, the _worst_ kind of torture."

"Yep, a whole day of spending time together. Just the absolute worse."

The two gave each other teasing and knowing smiles before they shared a brief kiss and Iwai rose from the couch.

"The way you talk actually makes me want to do something for the holiday, you know. I hope you're happy."

"Hey, as long as you're happy about it."

Of course, Tae wouldn't be a stuttering high schooler confessing her crush to her Senpai. …But she also wouldn't be an escort. In a way, subtlety was its own form of elegance.

* * *

Tae decided for this Valentine's date to be a family outing on the weekend, and thus decided to take Kaoru and Iwai to the arcade. That way, they wouldn't have trouble finding a babysitter last minute, they could have fun, and Tae wouldn't be judged by snooty acquaintances. A triple win! She also decided to have the boys pick her up from work so they could drop off Kaoru's backpack and see what she left them.

Iwai opened his door and Kaoru rushed inside ahead of him.

"Let's not keep Miss Takemi waiting too much, okay?" Iwai implored.

Kaoru nodded before he immediately refocused his attention to the kitchen counter. He gasped.

"WHOA, LOOK!"

Iwai did as such, and noticed that on that counter was a pack of chocolate bandaids, a card for Kaoru, a wrapped taiyaki treat with a sausage filling inside and "Iwai" on its body, and a wrapped lollipop hanging out of said taiyaki's "mouth". Said wrapping actually looked like a rose. And the card was a cute bear with a plague doctor's mask with heart eyes. In it read "For my favorite patient Kaoru".

Yep, Tae was a keeper.


	9. Tattoos

_**Moon Tide**_

 **Tattoos**

* * *

Honestly, tattoo artists never get enough credit. Their works are like tapestries you'd find in museums, but on a living human being. Heck, they're like surgeons combined with sculptors considering that one wrong move could lead to a dissatisfied customer or something more drastic.

Tae found these thoughts roaming around her head when summer came 'round and Iwai was forced to stop wearing his signature turtleneck. Heat strokes weren't fun to deal with, after all, so he'd end up in a gray tank top. He already had the Iwai family crest on his neck (which Tae always brought attention to caringly and frequently with kisses), but his arms and shoulders. And here she thought his muscles were a pleasant distraction.

All covered in gray scales, with smoke looping around like a serpent. Add that with some oni masks and even a hint of a tribal tattoo between his shoulder blades. _God_ , it must've taken forever to work on, but it was definitely worth it.

…Come to think of it, did they ever scare Kaoru when he was younger? Did he actually have those tattoos before he adopted Kaoru? Also, were tattoos a yakuza custom? It'd probably help to tell which clan someone belonged to. …Though that might be a hassle to deal with on recon assignments.

Either way, Tae was miffed that Iwai wasn't allowed in the public bath house because of his tattoos. Iwai would insist he was used to this, and that it was more fun to bathe in private, but the bath themselves weren't the issue here. Old peoples' opinions be damned, these tattoos were glorious. Of course Tae wouldn't have them displayed to the world, especially if Iwai wasn't comfortable with it.

But she had a resolution for this.

* * *

"Hey, are you still in contact with your tattoo artist?" She asked.

Iwai stopped putting groceries away and furrowed his eyebrows.

"You're not planning for the both of us to have obnoxious couple's tats, are you?" He responded with another question. "Last thing I need is for that old toad to haggle me into getting something ridiculous like a big-eyed dog."

Tae snorted at that imagery.

"No, I was thinking of getting some myself."

"Look, if this is about the bath house again, it's not a big deal."

"I know. I just wanted to compliment them for the level of detail they put into yours and see if they've got something I might like."

Iwai was about to bring up that she was a doctor, which was a profession that would most likely loathe the idea of having any tattoos, but then he remembered that she was back-alley.

"Got any idea of what you want, then?"

Tae smiled in success.

"I'm thinking twin spiders on the backs of my hands with webs and all, maybe have them go all the way up my arms. Makes it look like I'm wearing fishnet gloves, y'know? Then a little bat riiiiight here."

Tae pointed at her heart, which Iwai then immediately coughed so that he wouldn't get in trouble looking at her cleavage. She didn't mind, but she was grateful that he was still being a gentleman.

"Maybe some flames on my legs, and 'Iwai' in the teeth of a skull only you can see on my thigh."

Iwai blushed, and it wasn't the summer heat getting to him.

"That's…a lot of ideas. You should make sure you actually want this stuff because paying to get this shit off hurts like no tomorrow. Plus it gets expensive just applying them."

Iwai remembered hearing some of his old yakuza brothers howling with pain when they wanted to get new tattoos but had to remove others to make room. Still sent shivers down his spine.

Tae thought for a moment, realizing she could by flame stockings and actual fishnet gloves. But she liked the idea of having something near her heart. Maybe the spider and web could go there.

Unconsciously, she touched the side of her neck that Iwai and Kaoru had their geckos on. Iwai caught on to this. He cared greatly for Tae, but he wasn't sure if Kaoru would be upset with her getting her own gecko. This scar/tattoo held a special meaning for the two of them, after all.

"Tell you what, I'll help you brainstorm and then I can call up the old toad to see if he's up for it," Iwai smiled.

"I'd be honored," Tae responded.


	10. Leblanc

**Moon Tide: Leblanc**

* * *

Iwai mostly texted Tae updates on how Kaoru was doing, recommended doses for the prescriptions, etc. But along the way, the two mildly conversed. Then, Tae texted first with:

 **My office doesn't open until 9, unless there's an emergency. Wanna have that first date? ;)**

Iwai was slightly bewildered. He didn't forget that the good doctor asked him out a week or so ago, but she wanted their first date to be in the morning? Huh.

This was also a rather spontaneous request, as it was now 6:50 that very same morning.

"Dad?" Kaoru asked.

"Hm?" Iwai turned to his son, realizing he stared at his screen for over two minutes. "Oh, uh, you feeling good enough for school?"

"Yep, I've been resting a lot and I've been taking the medicine."

"Okay, but make sure you don't over exert yourself."

Kaoru nodded confidently as he made himself breakfast on the go.

"Stay out of trouble!" Iwai smiled as he sent his son off.

Now back to the matter at hand. Iwai didn't really have customers until the afternoon, and it wasn't any time near an important event, so opening up shop too late wasn't that big of a worry.

 **Leblanc, right?**

Iwai decided to freshen up a bit while he waited for Tae to respond. As he was brushing his teeth, she texted a picture of her in front of the small café. The caption below: **Don't keep me waiting too long.**

Bold one. Not bad.

One quick Google search revealed that Leblanc was just down the street from Tae's clinic. Ah, she must be a frequent customer there in that case. That explains it.

…Hm, since it's the first date, Iwai should put in _some_ effort to look good. And probably bring Tae flowers or something.

 **Be there in 20.**

* * *

He decided not to be too frugal (mostly to show he wasn't some desperate idiot that demanded affection) and get a single flower instead of a bouquet. The flower shop owner noted that a rose would be a bit much on the first date, especially for one so early in the morning.

"How about this other red one?" He asked.

"Oh, that's a sorrel. It means affection. But usually women are the ones that give hibiscus flowers like these. How about a sunflower? They mean adoration."

Seemed a bit too cheery for Tae, in Iwai's book.

"Then these blue ones?"

"Oh, bluebells! Those mean humility or gratitude. And I've made sure these ones aren't poisonous, so you don't need to worry about that, either."

Perfect.

With a polite nod after payment, Iwai set off with a bluebell in hand.

* * *

Thankfully, Iwai didn't have to sprain a lung to get to his destination. Or break a sweat. That would be unpleasant to deal with.

Stopping for a moment, he noticed Tae on her phone and in her work clothes. Now that he got a good look at her, she was prettier than he remembered. …Maybe that was because he was too concerned about Kaoru's health when they first met.

Tae noticed him, and walked toward him. He met halfway.

"Got this for you," he said a bit too quickly as he held out the bluebell.

She seemed a bit taken aback at first, but then smiled.

"How thoughtful," she replied. "I'll forgive you for being a few minutes."

Nailed it. …Wait, he was late? Iwai checked his phone to realize it was now 7:14.

"I'm only teasing," Tae snickered. "Come on, the coffee should be brewed fresh now."

"Oh, uh, right."

* * *

Tae silently remarked about how cute Iwai was being as Iwai opened the door for her. Good thing he had manners even at such an early hour.

"Mornin', Boss," Tae announced nonchalantly. She confidently strutted toward a small bar seat.

"Mornin', Doc," the middle-aged man behind the counter replied without lifting his head up. He did, however, when he heard the other set of footsteps. "Oh? Haven't seen you here before."

"Make sure you don't schmooze him too much."

"I'm not that desperate for customers, you know." He turned to Iwai. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Black, please," Iwai replied.

"Usual latte for you, Doc?"

"If you'd be so kind." She patted the seat next to her. Iwai then decided to stop being awkward and joined her. "Boss here makes some of the best coffee I've had."

"Well, considering this is a café, I would hope he does," Iwai chuckled.

Boss let out a small snort. He then placed a small vase in front of him, allowing Tae to place the bluebell in it.

"But do you work here part time or something?"

"Had I the time and culinary skills, probably. But, in case you're wondering, everyone here calls him Boss."

"Ah."

"Real name's Sakura Sojiro, just make sure not to use that when filing taxes."

"Damn, and here I thought I could get away with it," Iwai grinned before he introduced himself.

Sojiro placed the cups in front of the two, and the two thanked him.

"Ah, this is the good stuff," Iwai sighed after taking a sip.

"Your fears of mediocrity have been officially diminished," Tae smiled. "We should celebrate with curry."

Sojiro amusedly rolled his eyes as he started making preparations.

"Before you ask, Iwai is the owner of the airsoft store in town," Tae spoke before she drank her latte.

"Not bad," Sojiro responded. "Must've been difficult to get the work space."

"Yeah, I had to go in an alley so little kids wouldn't stop by frequently," Iwai said. "It's always about location."

Sojiro gave a sympathetic hum.

* * *

Footsteps could be heard from above, slowly descending until a familiar face appeared from the side. Iwai did a double check only to realize that this was in fact the kid he sold the model gun to. Akira seemed just as surprised.

"Yo," Tae greeted.

"Uh, hey," Akira waved. He nodded at Iwai, and Iwai nodded back.

"On your way to school?"

Akira nodded and passed the two.

"Hang on, I have some leftover curry you can take with you," Sojiro spoke as Akira opened the front door. He finished packing it in a small bento box and placed it on the counter. "Make sure you're not late."

"Thank you," Akira bowed.

 _Does he live here or something…?_ Iwai thought to himself.

"You've been making sure he eats enough, right, Boss?" Tae asked. "Last thing I want as a doctor is to hear that he's malnourished."

"He's been getting better, thankfully," Sojiro sighed. "Kid's not used to eating a lot, though, so it's been a gradual process."

"And Futaba?"

"She's been taking her vitamins, last time I checked. Still need to find a way to get her to exercise, though. I want her to be comfortable, but I don't want her holed up in her room where she's on the computer all day."

… _She doesn't live upstairs, too, does she?_ Iwai once again thought to himself. _Place doesn't really seem suited to raise two kids, unless there's an apartment upstairs._

"Thankfully you seem to have the patience," Iwai said. "I have a son named Kaoru, and back in the day I'd have to count in my head so I wouldn't end up throwing a tantrum along with him."

"That right?"

"Yep, it's actually how I met him," Tae replied.

"How cute." Sojiro then served fresh mild-flavored curry. The two thanked him for the meal before they cooled their first bites.

"Okay, I need the recipe for this," Iwai said.

"And here you thought I would be schmoozing him too much," Sojiro chuckled.

Tae rolled her eyes with a grin.

* * *

"You wanna go Dutch?" Iwai asked. "I don't mind paying, but I don't want you to think you can never pay for anything ever."

"Yes, please. Boss deserves some of my hard-earned medical treatment money."

"Only some, how unfortunate," Sojiro sighed with an overdramatic tone. "You kids keep your noses clean, flu season's approaching sooner than I'd like."

"You too, Boss, don't want there to be an epidemic just because you were too stubborn to rest," Tae waved as Iwai held the door open for her again.

Sojiro turned his attention to Iwai and grinned, "Feel free to bring Kaoru over when you have the time. Maybe one of these days he can talk with Futaba and Akira."

"I'll keep that in mind," Iwai smiled.

* * *

Tae and Iwai decided to keep up the friendly chats as they strolled toward Tae's clinic.

"Boss seems to have taken a liking to you," Tae said. "And he tends to give out pretty good assessments of others."

"Thank God," Iwai breathed. "Can't believe you took me to see your folks on the first date. Could've given me a warning beforehand."

"What, and risk you stuttering to try and impress him?"

"…Shit, you got me there."

That earned a laugh out of the two of them.

"Be thankful I didn't take you to my actual parents, though. My mom would still be on my ass about not being a housewife or whatever, and with Dad gone, it's harder to get her to change subjects."

"You don't have to worry about my folks, either. Dad left when I was a kid and my mom flat out doesn't care about me."

 _Thank God I'm not in the yakuza anymore_ , Iwai thought. _Last thing I want is for her to get involved, or for my former brothers to try and do something._

* * *

At last, they arrived to the front steps of Tae's clinic.

"Oh, that reminds me," Tae spoke. "That bluebell you got me was beautiful, hope you don't mind me giving it to Boss."

"Not at all, I'm just glad you liked it," Iwai responded with a grin. "It was…kind of a last minute decision, if I'll be honest."

"Well, considering bluebells can be bad luck, I could tell."

"Yea-wait, what?"

"Old superstition that hearing them ring would mean someone close to you died."

"I…the flower shop owner said it meant gratitude or whatever, though."

Tae chuckled to herself for a bit.

"Ah, don't worry. It has good meanings, too. Like other flowers, it can be used for medical treatments."

She then placed her hand on his cheek and pressed a small kiss on it.

"It also means everlasting love."


End file.
